Something makes me die a little bit inside is each time I see a Christian living up the reputation of being judgmental.
There is a vein of Christian media out there that loves of saying what they are against: gay marriage, abortion, sex outside of marriage, yoga, any other religion, democrats… etc.
A prime example of this would be the Matt Walsh Blog. He seems to be a popular man to repost on my Facebook feed and I cringe each time people repost him. His most recent article floating around was called “If You Still Support Planned Parenthood, You Are Simply Not a Decent Person.”
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t support abortion at all. And this blog isn’t about trying to justify abortion or Planned Parenthood.
It’s about questioning methods on how we create the world we want to live in.
You cannot lump millions of people into a category and say they are not decent because they support an organization you don’t agree with. That, my friends, is divisive and destructive.
I think my friends have the best intentions when they post articles like the above. But what they might not realize is what they are spreading around is really, when it comes down to it, hate. Hate of a people group, and hate of an organization.
I have had a lot of friends get medical treatment they needed from Planned Parenthood because they couldn’t afford it anywhere else. Someone I love very dearly found out she had stage one cervical cancer there, she was treated, and is now cancer free.
Does that make her an indecent person because she went to Planned Parenthood? Should I go around calling her indecent in hopes that she repents and comes to Christ?
Absolutely not. Hate cannot win people for Christ.
[share-quote] Hate cannot win people for Christ. [/share-quote]
Some Christians, like Matt Walsh or members Westboro Baptist Church, are walking around judging people and condemning others and wondering why nothing changes.
Martin Luther King said it best, “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Hate could never do what love does. I mean that’s essentially the gospel. Love overcoming hate.
So why are some Christians still name-calling, and ostracizing the people who need Christ the most?
If Jesus was hanging around today you know what he would probably be doing? He would be hanging out with all those Planned Parenthood people, doing a couple of miracles, and letting his love win them over.
He certainly wouldn’t be picketing outside their office, condemning them to hell.
I’m sure that the only man who lived a perfect life and has authority to condemn anyone to hell would actually spend time loving them. We see that clearly in the story of the adulterous woman in John 8.
Yes, there are things that are wrong and evil in this world, no doubt. There are things I am certainly against, human trafficking being one of them, but I don’t want to ostracize perpetrators from love, the only thing that would make them stop.
In fact, I try and make an effort to talk to the Johns, because maybe if we can introduce them to Christ, they’ll stop buying girls.
My friend Jena had the opportunity to condemn a John who had just purchased a girl, instead she showed him kindness. As a result, he stopped buying girls and is actually becoming an advocate against human trafficking now (you can read about it Thursday, as I have asked her to guest post the story.)
That’s how you change behavior, that’s how you keep evil from happening, by spreading love, not judgement.
[share-quote]That’s how you change behavior, that’s how you keep evil from happening, by spreading love, not judgement.[/share-quote]
There are veins of Christianity that love to say what they are against. But what if they started defining themselves by what they are for? Imagine what that would do to the way Christianity is viewed.
I am for love, life, freedom, compassion, grace, and kindness and I want to be known for those things. I want to be known for extending grace, and offering a helping hand. Not for shaming those who screw up.
Matt Walsh, I have a feeling you might want to be known for the same things, but your methods are causing people to believe other things about you.
This post isn’t about shaming you or calling you names. It’s about questioning your strategy on how to get the things you disagree with to stop.
I would suggest extending kindness to those whom you are against and see how that might be a little more effective in changing their minds.
If you’re ever in Gainesville, Georgia, let’s grab a cup of Joe and talk about how we can make this world a better place- together.
Well said! 🙂 Thanks for posting this.
Thanks Holley!
I like the perspective Meghan! Helps me second guess how I address organizations I don’t support. Question for you: what do you think about the time when Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the temple? Is there a time for righteous anger/condemning action? How can we walk that out in regards to divisive issues like abortion?
Gret. Yeah, Jesus did that, and I think it was warranted. But more often than not, I think Jesus takes the lover approach over the angry approach.
When I read scriptures, the times where Jesus was the most angry was at the Pharisees, religious people who claimed to know God and really didn’t. They were so obsessed with rules and legalism that they pushed people away from the Kingdom.
To me, it seems like Jesus was most frustrated with people who claimed to know the love of God, but it didn’t play out in the way they lived.
My application is James 1:19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
My first response should be love.
After that, I would just seek the Holy Spirit, because he knows way better than I do.
As a non-practicing Catholic, my stomach kind of turns every time I’ve had a friend post about this topic on Facebook. I’ve known people who have had abortions for various reasons (rape and tubal pregnancies to name two examples) and my heart breaks for them knowing that these messages of hatred are everywhere they look. Does it make them bad people? Unless you have a woman who uses abortion as a form of birth control, it’s not a decision they’ve made lightly or over the course of an hour. What’s really bothered me though, is the number of “famous Christians” who have recently spoken out against Planned Parenthood who were exposed for being a part of that Ashley Madison scandal. Thank you for this post and sharing your eloquent way of sharing your views!
Rae! thanks for reading and showing your support.
Amen! Thank you Meghan for sharing this perspective! It was very refreshing to read! I totally agree, judgement is not the way of Jesus, love is His way! We have a neice who has a lot of influence in a city in Alaska who is married to her “wife.” She very strongly voices her opinion about abortion (which she supports) and obviously “gay marriages.” Often, she posts on Facebook negative statements about the “hate” of Christians and “their agenda.” She has been around a lot of Christians in her life (including many family members), but she unfortunetely has mostly felt judgement from them, not love. It’s time for us Christians to change our perspective and begin loving people into the Kingdom. Laurie McCall